I have been a frequenter of this place since I was a lot younger. My mom and I's love for sushi has always brought us together at least once every few months at this place. Ever since I moved out a few years ago I haven't been to this place as much. I was really craving sushi the other day and asked my grandma if we could come here as I wanted something not too greasy and that I would actually enjoy. Little did I know that I probably would have had a much more enjoyable time eating a banana at home.
As I walked into the place I noticed right away the "improvements". They had painted, added a huge, really unnecessary tv. Apparently the new owner has decided that karaoke is a good atmosphere, but hey to each its own. It was really hard to talk to my grandma and hear myself think when they blasted the tv. I think instead of spending money of the tv they should have focused on getting new chairs and tables as they were the same old set from YEARS ago. Also I've seen a lot of complaints about the lighting which they should also think about. If they have enough money for that tv, they could definitely afford to create a better lighting atmosphere for their customers.
Moving on to service and food. As they are technically a Japanese place I was confused as to why they had thai iced tea but as I am a huge fan of the drink I didn't question it for too long. I wasn't feeling too hungry but I definitely wanted sushi, so I ordered two spicy tuna rolls. The server was nice enough and everything came in a timely manner as I would hope since we were the only customers in the whole place. Not really sure why there were so many people working. My common sense is that there should never be more staff than customers, especially on a Wednesday night. Extra especially if they are all going to sit around and talk loudly while staring at their phones. I guess the owner is a little too loose with the rules.
My two sushi rolls came and I was a little disappointed. I was hoping for eight pieces each instead of six which I am used to at any other place. The rolls looked unappetizing. Tuna did not look fresh, and the rolls looked uneven. It tasted even worse. I finally just took out the tuna and ate the rice and seaweed.
All in all I will never be going back here. I am saddened that the old owner is no longer there. She was very sweet and attentive and actually seemed to care about her place. I wish the new owner luck but I won't be surprised if this place does not make it.
First off, after walking in there were only 2 people eating, when i walked to the counter to order (to go) it was extremely confusing to the server that i just wanted chicken teriyaki and rice THAT'S IT. Eventually he got it after sometime. The chicken seemed to lack some flavor however there was nice amount of chicken which wasn't dry. My wife had ordered salmon teriyaki and California rolls with her meal, when we got home there was no rolls with her order (that we payed for) disappointed =/ . Would i come back to this, maybe. I would give them another chance.
Review Source:For starters, this "restaurant" deserves 0 out of 5 stars. I only gave one because I had to. I am completely appalled by the state that this restaurant is run. Â I came for lunch and had a terrible experience. The owner was beyond rude and was on his phone ignoring or belittling his staff for a majority of our visit. After waiting forever for our food, the food was disgusting. It became very aware to me after only 20 minutes into my visit that there were some very good servers working who were clearly mistreated and fed up with their jobs for very good reason. For the cost of the food I was expecting way more. The portions were small compared to their price and the quality was beyond low. It is safe to say I will never be returning to such a sad excuse of a sushi restaurant. I would recommend buying sushi from safeway or trader joes before suggesting this place to anyone. This place needs new management, or better yet to just be closed.
------ As if my visit wasn't awful enough this stupid manager has the nerve to message me after I post my review accusing me of being "set up" by one of his employees and not being an actual customer! What kind of bullshit is this man consumed by? I am again appalled by how down right rude this owner is. Steer clear from this place!!
We arrrived about 15 min. after opening, and they slowly but good naturedly woke up after their big Karaoke night. Â The new owner, Gio, soon rolled in, still glowing from the party atmosphere. Â He told us about the improvements he's made and plans to make - some of which are updating the look and naming of the rolls and fixing the typos on the kids' meal description. Â It implied that you get all three (chicken, tempura, and veggie), so he honored it. Â Couldn't fix that they were out of Thai iced tea and pickled vegetables at the moment. Â He kept the chef and my Dad's favorite, L21, the pan fried udon... must be delicious to cause a person who can't actually see the plate to chase down every single noodle of the huge portion (well, looking at the photo, maybe it's not as large as it once was).
Hopefully they'll keep up the good work, oh, and maybe get wider tables and cut the rolls a little smaller.
I do not understand why this place has 3.5 stars. Â Based on the experience my family and I just had it does not even deserve a star or even my precious time to write a review but I thought it would be appropriate to share how horrible this experience was for future customers.
First things first. Â This review is mainly about the experience..
DO NOT GET ME WRONG! The server we had tonight was very professional and even though he was the only server on duty or as it seems he did a wonderful job of handling himself.
Just getting straight to the point. Â It was quite busy today being what it looks like karaoke night and you would expect for them to have at least 2-3 servers helping on this busy night but no.. there was only ONE server!! You would think the owner of this place would know what nights would be busy and put more people on duty. Â So with that being said it took FOREVER to get seated, it took FOREVER to get our food, and it definitely was not worth the wait.
As I was eating I noticed an older looking Asian fellow by the cash register just sitting there on his phone and I thought to myself, "He looks like he could be the owner, why the fuck is he just sitting there when he could be helping, or checking in with customers making sure everything is okay". Â But no he was not, he just sat there the whole time we were there and was just on his phone doing nothing.
The only reason I decided to write this review was because even though the waiter was the only one working and had a handful of things to do (I'd probably be too overwhelmed) I appreciate his professional service as he was reassuring us he was moving as fast as he can and making sure everything was good for us.
Overall the food was ehhhhh, the wait time was horrible, and seeing that waiter trying to get everything done while this dude was sitting on his phone without even helping well you can say that will be the first and last time I ever go there.
I'm going to get straight to the point here. Â Met a friend for lunch a week ago on weekday. Â Restaurant only had 3 occupied tables. Â Waited 50 minutes for bento boxes. Â Friend was very patient, bless her heart. Â I wanted to get up and leave at the 20 min mark. Â When we asked waitress why it took so long, she replied, "I don't cook the food." Â 10 min later, she came back to apologize. Â Food was actually good, but the experience was poor. Â Would not be a repeat customer.
Review Source:Had Dinner there last night with my family. Thought about our favorite restaurant since we were in the area. (Hilltop Mall/Walmart). Was literally about to go to Sizzlers because my 3 kids was craving for some salad bar. Wow! We were IMPRESSED! We walked in & was greated! I seen our long time friend/ neighbor for over 20 + years Tita Norlyn Tabayoyong, and told us "come eat here!!, i go here a lot and you guys have to try it, you wont be dissappointed". We all agreed to stay and gave it a chance and i tell you. I am soooooo happy that we stayed. My 3 kids loved the food & the atmosphere. They said mom this place is our new favorite restaurant!! Thier clean, nice, great customer service, met the owner and owner was very professional and nice". We were well welcomed! The old owners was a good friend of ours also and I use to work here as a waitress for a few years so as far as new/old owners there is nothing negative about it all. Its just a change of owners & workers but overall THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!!! The name TOKYO was kept for now, which is nice for the old owners to keep & I tell u, I LOVE THIS PLACE as much as I love the old Tokyo. I will be bringing big crowds here because I/We were very impress! Two thumbs up
Review Source:I had a taste for sushi...so...of course I went to Tokyo. I live in the neighborhood and have been visiting this restaurant for years. I should have known something was askew when I wasn't greeted by Monica. I soon found out she sold the business. Let me just say the sushi was TERRIBLE. The waitress had attitude to spare. And I will probably never be able to get the smell of the food I ordered out of my car. Take my advice. Stay clear of the new Tokyo. It is NOTHING like the old Tokyo I loved so dearly.
Review Source:Today was my second time at this restaurant. Â The first time was fairly good food so since I was in the area and craving some tempura, I went in. Â The TV was blasting so loud, I heard it clearly before I arrived at the sidewalk, and I am nearly deaf. Â When I asked, they said it was going to stay on. Â It was deafening. Â The food is passable. Â The restaurant is cluttered, like an employee's jacket over a counter, A big cardboard box in the corner, just junk everywhere. Â It may be just my prejudice, but clutter to me makes me think that dirty goes along with that. Â I won't be going back.
Review Source:Edit in response to owner's reply: I have lived in Contra Costa County for more than 30 years. It is fair to say that I patronize and encourage local businesses. It's the reason why I stay local. Had your staff or restaurant (via signage) indicated the party was for a local fundraiser, I would gladly return. However, your waitress responded with, "It's a private party." Had it been a fundraiser, wouldn't you want outside guests to add to that percentage donated to said cause?
I will clarify my method of rating. Your service from the hostess/waitress/chef (he was wearing a chef's coat) was unprofessional. And for that my review. I will stand by what I said previously in my review, I would rate you a ZERO if I could. Had we had been turned away in a professional manner (there is such a thing), I would be more than willing to try your food.
Thanks for flagging my review! People can "check my reviews" as much as they'd like, hopefully they'll get some helpful tips especially for the LOCAL restaurants who do such great work.
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Friday night, restaurant only half full.
The private party monopolized the entire seating area, scattered and unorganized. The hostess did a poor job, initially stating the front of the restaurant was for the private party. The back, poorly lit two tables were open for other customers. The sushi chef also pointed out the sushi bar or a high top table. No thanks!
I hope the private parties are worth it because treating outside customers like an inconvenience makes them not want to go back. We didn't even stay! Left and most definitely not returning. Even for a private party aka karaoke night. I hate to state the obvious but I'm taking bets as to how long this restaurant will last especially at this rate. Good luck.
The service needs a little improvement. It just takes awhile for your orders to come out. We tried the raiders roll, 49ers roll , dragon roll and deluxe sashimi platter.
4 bottles of sake and the food was tasty but fish slices are a little small. $110.00 for two people and I felt like the freshness and portion size did not reflect the amount.
The owner and sushi chef are nice, I just hope they improve on some things.
We will try again and skip the saucy rolls... which taste good... a little too good though.
Those sauces hide freshness I tell ya!
I've lived in the area a long time but had never gone to Tokyo Restaurant and I'm sorry I did. My experience was horrible. It took over 1 1/2 hours to get the food we did get (2 sushi dinners & 1 tempura order). Our beef sukiyaki order never arrived. There were less than a dozen people, including us, in the restaurant.
The "manager" ( I think he was the manager since I can't imagine he was actually the owner) told us the reason we didn't get sukiyaki was because the server didn't know how to send orders to the kitchen. Pretty strange since the tempura order was from that same kitchen (so the server forgot how to send orders back between the tempura order and the sukiyaki?). This didn't explain why it took 1 1/2 hours to get our food. Also not a good idea to use your server as an excuse.
The sushi dinners were suppose to come with sunomono. When we asked the "manager" about it, he apologized and left, we thought, to get it. The second time we asked he said it no longer came with the sushi dinner but he was having it prepared... never saw it. This was a small thing but pretty indicative of the attitude of the "manager."
Even if the food had been superb I would still not return but my sushi was mediocre. The entire array lacked freshness. A few pieces were dried at the edges and one piece was inedible. I'm not expecting top notch sushi for $18 but I do expect fresh. The tempura was cooked... that's about all I can say about that.
The "manager" just made excuses for everything. The server was attentive and friendly until after we didn't get the sukiyaki (he had assured us a couple of time that our dinners were coming soon.). After the "manager" talked to him about the missing order, he avoided making eye contact. And the manager NEVER came back to see if we needed more water or tea. When you know new customers are unhappy, the last thing you do is make lame excuses and ignore them.
Having owned a business and coming from a family of small restaurant owners, the "manager" should have comp'd at least one of the meals, if not all, and given us a coupon or other incentive to try them again later. If this is how he grows his business, he won't be in business for long.
When our bill arrived, the charge for the missing item was on there! This was after the manager went back to the register to check on what item was missing. After informing us of the problem and us telling him to skip it, he should have removed it from the tab immediately.
HOLY CRAP! Â I cannot believe this place has 4 stars. Â When we arrived there was one table already seated waiting for their food and one person waiting for take out. Â They were definitely not busy, but it took forever for our food to arrive and we even overheard one of the workers apologize to the other table saying the food will come out shortly. Â Bad start. Â
Here is what we ordered:
Dinner Special: This was a pretty good deal. Â Included teriyaki chicken (not bad), CA roll (typical; I hate CA roll, but bf was willing to eat it), and tempura (the only thing that was actually good). Â Also, rice that came w/ it had hard dried rice pebbles that got stuck to my teeth...yuck and annoying!
Nigiri Deluxe: This actually made me mad and prompted me to write this review. Â The picture showed 12 pieces of assorted nigiri. Â When it arrived, it had 8 very sad looking pieces of nigiri and 6 pieces of CA roll...I hate CA roll! Â That is false advertising! Â If I knew this had more CA roll, I would not have ordered this. Â The fish slices were not fresh and extremely thin, but they made sure the rice was very thick. Â I've had fresher and more generous nigiri at buffets. Â
Hamachi sushi roll: Â This tasted ok, but again they were so stingy with the fish, I felt like i was eating a roll of rice. Â The picture showed 8 pieces (I knew it seemed too good to be true), but it came out w/ 6 pieces.
Did I go on a day when they were low on fish? Â Perhaps they should update the pictures on the menu to correctly reflect what they intend to serve.
So the one star is for the ok service and the good tempura. Â Unfortunately, I can't go to a Japanese restaurant just for tempura...it's all about raw fish. Â If you only like cooked Japanese food, then go ahead and give this place a try, if not...DON'T GO! Â I feel so tricked by the 4 star rating and their menu pictures =( Â If I had a craving for Japanese food while I was in Pinole, I'd rather go to Happy Sashimi.
I himmed and hawed about going out to dinner at a Japanese restaurant right next to Hilltop Mall for fear that it would be absolutely disgusting. I was VERY happy to be wrong... we had SO much fun and the food was as good as Hana Japan in Berkeley. Went with some girlfriends and were welcomed with open arms by the staff before being led to the back grill area where we met Fernando, our chef. Fernando worked for 10 years at Benny Hana (spelling?) and let his grilling skills shine along with his sweet and fun personality. I'm so happy we found this place and I will be going back for sure. Only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because the decor sucks. Green walls. Enough said.
Review Source:So it's not Monica's place anymore. Â They sold to a new guy, who is very nice, but the place needs work. Â The service is slow and uneven. Â The food wasn't good. Â My husband's udon was bland and thin, and my chicken teriyaki was bland and uninteresting as well. Â I didn't try the sushi this go around. Â The dishes for our party of five came out a bit at a time, with up to 10 minutes between dishes, the last came out about 1/2 hour before the first showed up. Â Service is not polished. Â The cooks and sushi chefs are the same. Â It wasn't great before, so I hope it gets better from here.
Review Source:My husband and I just moved to El Sobrante not too long ago so we wanted to try out some of the sushi bars in our area. We looked a few up on Yelp and came across this one. It happened to be the closest to our house too. We got there around 5:30-6pm and we were greeted and sat right away. Everyone was very friendly in there and the chef even sent over two pieces of one of the rolls that was on special, the manilla roll. Delicious by the way! He loved their miso soup the best out of the 5 sushi bars we went too as well. Deducted one star cause it did take a while to get the check (think the girl forgot or something haha) but other than that it was great. They have happy hour until 7pm too, which is also very convenient since I usually work later. Definitely recommend though!
Review Source:Not sure how we missed this place all of these years. True, it isn't in the most obvious of places you might expect a Japanese/Sushi restaurant to be since it is hidden away across the street from the Hilltop Mall. But I'm glad we found a decent place that my family can enjoy which has ample parking and good sushi.
The sushi was pretty good (sizable fish portions and ample rolls, though the sushi rice was not as skillfully packed so it would tend to break apart before you could get the piece into your mouth). The tempura was done right without being too oily (and actually very generous portions overall).
The service was great but admittedly, we were there on a Monday evening and it was pretty quiet (two other tables besides us and only one other table that was filled after we arrived). Â But staff was friendly, helpful, and accomodating to our needs.
Happy Hour (4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.) prices were pretty good and overall, I think for 3 adults and 2 kids, the total bill was actually quite reasonable for the amount of food we ate.
We got a number of nigiri (all good), 3 rolls, tempura appetizer and a kids tempura meal. Â The only disappointment was one of the rolls, the salmon skin roll, which was a bit over sauced and way too chewy (salmon skin should be crispier). Â I would avoid that roll (and I normally like salmon skin rolls) the next time though but everything else we had was very good. Â My 5 year old daughter is a notoriously picky eater and I have to say, I was surprised at how much she ate here. Â If she is any indication, she really, REALLY liked the food here.
Overall, a decent find. Can't believe they've been in business for nearly 19 years and we had not yet discovered them. We will certainly go back and try out some of the other items.
This is my first time reviewing. I figured since I use Yelp so much, I might as well offer my input since it's usually one or two key reviews that end up swaying your decision.
With that said, I've been called a picky eater. I prefer selective. This is my first time eating at this establishment. When I do that, if the prices are fairly reasonable, I prefer to order things "To Go" since I order a larger amount of food than I normally would because I expect NOT to like most things. I end up giving the leftovers to family members. I'm complicated, huh?
On to the food... Â
I ate my dessert first. I'm 24. I'm allowed to eat my meal in any fashion I choose. Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the meal. Honey fried banana with green tea ice cream. I've had better elsewhere & though the banana could've had a crispier coating & the green tea ice cream was nearly flavorless, it wasn't overly sweet & when paired with the banana, it was pretty good. The one from The Noodle House in El Sobrante is much better, though.
Beef Kushi: Â So-so. Tasted more like onion than anything & the texture was off.
Gyoza: Meh. Had better frozen ones from Trader Joe's.
Kabocha Age (Deep-fried pumpkin): Meh. Not really good or bad, just whatever.
Tempura & Chicken Teriyaki: I've once again had better frozen tempura from Trader Joe's. It's never a good sign when you're picking the batter off because it's nasty & the veggies taste better by themselves. The chicken was cooked inconsistently. I hate biting into charred pieces. It was ok. It had an orange aromatic essence, but that could've just been from the oranges they put in as garnish.
Came in for Happy Hour. It's a big restaurant, clean with lots of space. Although the outside area is pretty dead. There used to be a supermarket next door but that's been gone for years. So there's lots of parking outside.
Anywho we ordered items from the Happy Hour Menu. Happy Hour is Monday thru Saturday 4:30 pm to 7 pm. We started off with appetizers. We got Atsu Age $3.95 (crispy fried soybean cake), Gyoza $3.95 & Yaki Tori $3.95 (chicken skewers). For sushi we got the 8 piece California Roll $3.50 & the 8 piece Salmon Skin Roll.
We were happy with our food & service.
I have a soft spot for this restaurant.
This is, surprisingly, the restaurant in which I found my love for sushi and my love for my "high school sweetheart" at 16 years old. Â Him and I would go there at least once. Â We'd cut school, watch a movie and go to Tokyo. Â Neither of us were working at the time, so we were livin' the good life with our lunch money! Â I honestly don't know how we did it. Â After high school, I moved away for school... Â After six years, we finally returned!!!
It's exactly how I remembered it. Â The restaurant is decorated with oragami cranes hanging from the ceiling and anime posters on the wall. Â The lighting remains dim through lunch and dinner. Â We had the same server and we sat in the same spot. We ordered the miso soup, edamame, pink lady roll, dragon roll, spider roll and deep fried green tea ice cream.
The food is mediocre. Â There are A LOT better sushi places, but this is the closest one to my house. Â I recommend getting all rolls that are fully cooked, because it doesn't look too fresh. Â It's also a good idea to eat here to support your local business!
Sandwiched between a place of worship and a boarded up ex-Lucky supermarket, is Tokyo Restaurant. As you approach the entrance you immediately notice the welcoming "People Love Us on Yelp" sticker. The inside layout of this restaurant was somewhat of a mix between an old karaoke joint and a Japanese restaurant with a retired Teppanyaki flair. The dated old school décor is something my mom would proudly sport for a lifetime.
Though it's my first time doing a review, we've frequented this restaurant when we lived in the area some time ago. Whenever chance permits we show up to reminisce the good times.
I do feel strongly that this little gem doesn't get the attention or the praise it truly deserves. I'm hopeful that they'll continue to duke it out with the economy and stick around for a long time.
Our family would agree that they have the best crunch, full-flavored and the largest Shrimp Tempura we've ever had. In size, the shrimp served were larger than your average catch. Were they raised on seafood steroids or injected with some happy livin' large gene? I dunno but it's definitely not your typical small, curly, limp and mediocre tempura shrimp that's for sure!
They offered a large selection of sushi and Japanese dishes but we come here mostly for the Dinner Special (bento) - Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura, Chicken Teriyaki, California Roll served with Miso Soup, Sunomono, Salad and Rice along with complimentary Tea and Edamame. If you're not into chicken you can request to sub it for beef teriyaki instead. In addition to the dinner bento special we love their Dragon Roll (Deep Fried Shrimp, Eel, Avocado, Tobiko) and Kirin Maki (Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab, Eel, Avocado, Spicy Kani). I really like the Spicy Tuna Hand Roll with a nice cold Sapporo.
You can eat at the sushi bar, grab a table or take the goodness to go. The mom & pop type service and most specially the food were always a sure thing for us!
Sayonara until next time...
I've been eating at this restaurant for almost 20 years now and the same people have been serving all throughout the years. They're so nice and friendly but my only question is how do they know every time we finish part of the meal they're right there next to you to take the plates away. I mean just when I take the last bite of my chicken teriyaki they pop out of no where and take my plate away. Sometimes I be fakin my last bite just to see if they come but they know...they know.
The food here is not spectacular but if your craving for Japanese food around the San Pablo, Hilltop area this is the place to go. There are other Japanese joints around here but for the quality and the cost they got the perfect combination.
What do stand out, for me at least, at this place is the Miso soup. In fact I think they have the best Miso soup ever. The bento box is pretty good at a good price and the dragon roll is my usual appetizer.
What I do feel bad about is that this place is the last business place in the area. The place outside really looks desolate and the restaurant is never full. I hope this place stays around for another 20 years so to all the fans of Tokyo show your support.
I did take out during my lunch and actually felt good about my order because I walked out of there with a big brown bag and they even included the soup.
However, I was mistaken, the Tokyo Lunch Special should actually be called the Tokyo Lunch Combo because there was nothing special about it. The chicken teriyaki was so bland that I even pured soy sauce to kick it up a notch. Surprisingly, Â I did enjoy the salad and miso soup. I should have just ordered the soup and salad and saved some green.
Sadly, the only thing that comes to mind when describing the sushi we ordered here is, "Meh." My fiance was NOT A FAN, but I found it tolerable although not terribly enjoyable. Perhaps it's a personal preference, but I like my tuna to be chilled when served and, well, this tuna was not which gives one the impression that the fish is less than fresh even if that isn't the case.
The service was fair. We ordered to go due to the complete lack of air conditioning on an 80 degree day and were served ice water while we waited. I ordered a spicy tuna handroll but was sent home with a spicy tuna roll which is just as well  seeing as I was likely to be disappointed with the former.
There was a vast difference in the expense vs. the experience, in my opinion. We paid 50 dollars for mediocre sushi that we had to eat at home- sadly, I would not recommend this establishment to any friends of mine although I would love to recommend it to George Bush, my former boss and Nicole Scherzinger because she's really not that cute and probably deserves some less than stellar sushi.
If I could give this place 0 (ZERO) stars, I certainly would. But instead I am forced a miniscule 1 star, which this place fails to live up to at all.
The food is decent. Especially being placed in Richmond right across from Hilltop Mall. The area doesn't really fit the restaurant, and after all these years this place seems to remain open though there is probably 5 people max there at any given time. So I'll give it that, at least, that they offer Japanese food in a predominately desolate area.
Prices are ridiculous-- the portions are as expected at any typical Japanese restaurant. So I completely understand if I chose to be overly-full and bloated I would need to order food. Ok fine. But the quality of the fish and every ingredient pertaining to my order was so not worth it. Save your money and head out of Richmond to get some better (and maybe even more reasonably priced) Japanese food. Tachikawa in Pinole is much better.
The thing that really made me mad is the service! If any waitress at any restaurant complains about a tip where service is negligent, should really just be slapped. MIND YOU, this was not a one time thing. I've decidely come to the conclusion that it is in their policy to ASK for a tip (excuse me, she said "service charge")... seriously ask while looking straight into your eyes with no shame. One, YOUR service sucked the couple of times I've went there, your BOSS' service sucked especially with her condescending attitude, and the food simply served it's purpose. The last time I went there, only for the food, the lady ran after my party, chased after us, yelling "IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA LEAVE A TIP, JUST ORDER IT TO-GO!" .
Wow.
I've only been here once, but I would go back for sure. The dining room is huge and decorated with kitchy items such as model sailboats and giant Hello kitty posters. If you are one who is picky about the decor of their chosen eating establishments, you may be turned off by this joint.
The wait staff is quick and friendly. Their menu is pretty extensive and prices aren't bad.
I had the combo dinner where I got teriyaki chicken, california roll, and veggie tempura. I did not care for the chicken because I thought it was overcooked and too crispy. Maybe I just don't like teriyaki. Calfornia roll was subpar--not my favorite roll to begin with. Tempura was good.
I did, however, try a piece of their rainbow roll and tiger roll my bf ordered and really liked them both--way better than the combo dinner.
I rounded out the meal with tempura banana ice cream--great!
Recap:
Combo dinner --nothing special
Rolls (tiger and rainbow)--delicious!
Tempura bananas w/ ice cream--delicious!
Miso soup--best I've had
I'm kind of new to the area of Richmond so when the hubby and I were trying to decide what was there to eat around the neighborhood..we yelped for suggestions and Tokyo came up w/ 1) good reviews  2) it was literally a 2 minute drive from our house. Â
We got seated pretty quickly--there weren't too many other patrons, but don't let that fool you. We ordered:
1) 2 orders of Amaebi (YUM)
2) Sake roll
3) Seaweed salad
4) Seaweed salad w/crab & cucumber in vinegar
5) Grilled Squid
6) M16 (Shrimp Tempura Roll)
7) M20 (These are menu numbers b/c I can't remember what they were really called but this one had deep fried soft shell crab w/avocado, ungai, crab, tobiko and some spicy sauce).
Services was wonderful & pleasant and the food was pretty awesome. They even gave us mint patties w/the check! Â We definitely would go back again!
I've been going to Tokyo for almost 10 years now. Â Watched the kids become adults. Â The staff is friendly and fairly attentive, and the food is always fresh, hot and tasty.
I love their chirashi sushi, regularly order their special (teriyaki, cal. rolls, and tempura) when I want to bring home something for lunch the next day. Â I've enjoyed every dish I've had there.
I've been going to this place with my parents for several years now. Â Once my parents find a place they like, they stick with it--I'm not sure where I got the adventurous taste buds from. Â They've also gotten to be friends with the owners (it's a family run restaurant, which includes the kids helping out), since we've been going for so long (my mom says she remembers when the owners' kids were kids--I'm going to guess that they're now in their 20s or 30s)! Â Oh yeah, the owners are actually Taiwanese.
I usually get sushi or sashimi when I go. Â Other than one roll that I tried the last time I was there, I've always liked their food. Â I forget which sushi roll it was, but it was one I decided to try that I hadn't tried before, & I just didn't like all the sauces it had on top, there was just a little too much.
It's in a deserted strip mall on the edge of Hilltop Mall that used to have a small grocery store. Â I think that the restaurant is one of the few businesses left I in the building, besides some medical offices, like a chiropractor's office & maybe a dentist's office.
I have been there about 100 times. Â Never a bad experience except a couple times it took a super long time to get my to-go orders. Â Bathroom could be cleaner and nicer. Â Interior could be more polished.
Food is always good, prices good also. Â Love this place. Â Better than Tachikawa in Pinole. Â I go for lunch to get the lowest prices.
They have a soft chair to sit and wait for your to-go order. Â There is a table of magazines next to the chair and when I went they had a ton of Chinese Christian magazines. Â
So yeah...Chinese people are making your sushi there. Â But who cares, they do a great job and style is authentic Japanese. Â I find that Chinese people make great sushi. Â I don't really agree with Christianity, but who cares, tho prices are low and the food is yummy.
Tokyo is located in a dead shopping center surrounding Hilltop mall. There is an old bank that is now a church (can't figure out if the drive through still works), another church in one of the small store fronts, and then Tokyo. It used to be a busy little center, small, but with a grocery store and Planned Parenthood. You would never think Tokyo would be any good but it is a total gem.
Inside, the decor never changes and it's pretty cheesy. But the food is excellent and nowhere have I ever had such beautiful white tuna. Often, both the tuna and salmon sashimi melts on your tongue, it is so fresh and so delicious. We almost always order moriawase, which is a nice large assortment of sashimi. We also enjoy the chirashi (sushi over rice). The rice is perfect and the tempura is always good too. The sunomono (cucumber salad) is the best I have had anywhere (must be in the dressing) For dessert, you can't beat the green tea tempura ice cream, which I always manage to stuff down my gullet despite being full from sushi. All dishes are simple, but very tasty.
My husband and I have been going to Tokyo for years. The family that owns it is personable and the sons are friendly and remember what we like. For a while, we used to go three times a month and they would always take out the fish I didn't like from my dish without even having to be asked. We stopped going because I got pregnant and had a baby, but when we finally went again for the first time in a whole year, they remembered us well and welcomed us back in.
They are not overly busy---there are a lot of old Beni Hana style tables in the back that go unused, giving the place a deserted feel, but they do a great lunch crowd business and can be quite busy on Friday and Saturday nights. The only complaint is that they are not open on Sundays.
We have a variety of great sushi places at our feet in Albany and Berkeley, but still we keep going back to Tokyo for the great fish, good prices, and friendly staff. We look forward to teaching our little boy how to eat tempura and drink miso soup.
Richmond (even the area around Pinole/Hilltop/etc.) isn't the sort of place I'd expect to find great eats. There's plenty of decent stuff, but we're still talking about Richmond, and more so, a large, modern shopping mall. As such, I hadn't tried much at Tokyo Restuarant, settling instead for takeout items that I won't feel nervous about if I have to leave them on my kitchen counter for half an hour when I get home.
With my teenaged brother in town and interested in trying sushi, though, I figured it was time to try. It was a very pleasant surprise! As it was a Friday night, they were pretty busy, but they handled it well. The chef is personable and funny. The mackerel wasn't the best I'd ever had, but it was pretty damn good; tuna (red and white) and salmon didn't disappoint, either. The dragon roll (shrimp, unagi, avacado) and five-star roll (shrimp, spicy tuna) were excellent, and I've never come out of a sushi place so full. I really wanted to try their octopus and fatty tuna, but I just couldn't get another bite down. The total bill was about $22 a person (plus my sake and a well-earned tip), which is pretty damn cheap for a belly full of good sushi, in my book.
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