Shogun Express — Restaurant in Bowling Green

A Bento Box and Sushi Blunder: A Culinary Catastrophe

As a Culinary Arts Instructor, I have a deep appreciation for quality ingredients, proper technique, and the integrity of a well-prepared dish. Unfortunately, my recent experience at Shogun Express was a masterclass in what not to do in the kitchen.

Let's start with the Bento Box Shrimp Tempura. At $14, one might reasonably expect a balanced portion—The menu list it as Shrimp 12 pieces with tempura vegetables, rice and salad. Instead, what arrived was an insult: a mere two shrimp buried beneath a mountain of excessively greasy, soggy vegetables. The deceptive menu description was just the beginning of the disappointment.

The salad? Wilted brown lettuce, clearly past its prime, begging to cause one gastrointestinal issues later on. The rice? Stale and barely warm, lacking the delicate fluffiness that should be a given in any competent kitchen.

Moving on to the sushi, the Spicy California Roll was anything but. Traditionally, this roll features a balanced touch of spicy mayo. Instead, what arrived was drenched—no, drowned—in Sriracha, obliterating any possibility of flavor nuance. It was so overpowering that it became completely inedible.

The Crunchy Shrimp Roll was yet another letdown. Tiny, uninspired, and more vegetable-heavy than shrimp-forward, it was an exercise in mediocrity. A roll advertised as "crunchy" should deliver a crisp, airy texture—what I received was limp, uninspired, and completely forgettable.

In short, this meal was a failure on every front—poor execution, misleading portions, and a lack of care in ingredient quality. If this establishment wants to retain customers, they must urgently revisit their standards. Until then, I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this place to anyone who values good food.

Final Verdict: A culinary disaster. Avoid at all costs. $32 of...

So the food here is good 2/3 times. 1/3 times the food is extremely dry. I normally get the noodles and steak no veggies. Typically expect a bit of a language barrier between the workers to the customers for whatever reason. Drink sizes are extremely small compared to everywhere else. But the biggest issue that myself and I’ve heard from everybody in the community is. When you go through the drive thru, an choose to pay with card. They hand you the card reader with the option for what gratuity for a tip to leave. So they ask for a tip to hand me my food out the window which imo is absolute insane work considering the language barrier and the food being mid quality. Like tip for what? To hand food out of the window? To hand me a dry bowl of noodles 1 out of 3 times with a small cup of soda for 24 bucks? I love the flavor of they’re lo mein noodle so it’s a shame. You honestly get better service and lo mein at Kyoto gardens here in bowling green. I hope this place closes down just due to there greedy business practices in the community. Idk what to say, I never tip in the drive thru which seems to make the workers feel jaded but I just can’t make since tipping somebody for one that ask for a tip and two, wants to be tipped for handing a bag out of the window. Unfortunate that this business practice makes shoguns look greedy but they have been doing it for years as the whole community has picked up on it. Go to kyotos garden for a better experience and...

This location is awful. I live out by this one so it’s more convenient to go to rather than all the way across town. Im pregnant and I have been sold raw and undercooked food 4 times now from this location. The first time I asked what sushi rolls were cooked, and specified that everything in them had to be cooked. I got halfway thru my second roll before I realized that it was a fried roll with raw salmon. The last three times including just about 30 minutes ago we told the guy we wanted a FRIED chicken teriyaki bowl, not steamed. All of my food has to be cooked all the way thru since I’m pregnant. He said “yeah everything in the bowl is fried and chicken is well done.” I get home with my food and it’s not fully cooked! My boyfriend is on the way back & I told him to ask for a manager and tell them that if they can’t go watch the cook make everything completely cooked thru then we need a full refund. I’m usually not the type to leave bad reviews or any reviews for that matter but I’m absolutely fed up. This restaurant is by far the worst of the three shoguns in...