Tokyo Sushi & Bar — Restaurant in South San Francisco

If it is possible to submit this review without a star, I would. Tokyo Sushi is an alright Japanese restaurant but they do not have anything special that other Japanese restaurants cannot offer. Since it opened, I have patronized them going alone, with friends & also when out of town family & friends visit we eat there. Additionally, in the recent years I ordered more GrubHub from them too. So I would say I am a good paying customer!!! They used to have good service. Today I was meeting a good friend for lunch. There were no parking in the immediate area so I ended parking up in the Safeway area in close proximity to Tokyo Sushi. I have a bad back pain which sets in when walking further. So when I came into the restaurant, I sat on the very 1st chair closest to the door to rest. Right away, the manager, Alec, told me I cannot sit there bc it is reserved. I acknowledged explaining I am resting 1st but will move. In less than 2 minutes he returned to tell me again that I have to move & that he will prepare a table for me. Again I acknowledged & repeated myself that I have a bad back & yes, I will move. I was not being unwilling, just taking my breath & awaiting to ease the pain. In less than 2 minutes, I waved @ him to say that I am waiting for my friend but would like to start by giving him our appetizer order. According to Alec he will not start with it unless I go move to the table set up. This is just when I completely got annoyed with his rudeness. I REALLY INTENDED TO MOVE TO THE TABLE HE SET UP BUT WAS AWAITING FOR MY BACK PAIN TO EASE UP. But with his unacceptable overbearing rudeness, I decided to leave. I told him to which he sarcastically replied, "Thank you." To whomever is reading this review, pls do not go to this restaurant at all. Like I said they serve nothing different that others can serve you. Thru the recent years they raised their prices so no need to patronize them. Because we had our hearts set to having Japanese today, my friend & I went up the hill. For the 1st time both of us had lunch @ Kamameshi's. The food was good, servings were not as small as Tokyo Sushi's, the sashimis are very fresh, good & larger sized than Tokyo Sushi's. Costs are lower & the service was very VERY EXCELLENT. The lady who served as was amiable, good natured & helpful. She had a very good customer service demeanor which is what you too will enjoy if you go to Kamameshi. Rudeness or discourtesy is never acceptable in anyway, anytime & anywhere. Treating a handicapped person the way Alec @ Tokyo Sushi is below the belt. They are not worthy of your business. Patronize other restaurants within Westborough Square or within the area but not them. They do not deserve any of our business. Again, go to Kamameshi or any other restaurants within the vicinity. Thank you for reading this review. Have a...

Recommendations: Get the ramen and other hot meal items such as bento boxes and Don. Sushi quality is slightly lacking and not worth your money.

Service: Was very fast and attentive. The restaurant was very accommodating of vegetarians, and endeavored to ensure everyone had a great experience.

Ambience: Slightly upscale, but comfortable and can wear street clothes. Good casual date spot.

Spicy Soyu ramen: I had the Spicy Soyu Ramen and it was a great experience.

The only modification I made was to replace the pork with tofu and add an egg.

The spice level very comfortable, providing a pleasant heat with no discomfort at all.

The broth was hot, flavorful, aromatic, well seasoned, and the soy sauce flavor is nicely balanced.

Noodles were of a good thickness, cooked perfectly and absorbed the broth’s flavor without becoming soggy or having oil oddly coat the outside.

The tofu was very tender to the point I had to be careful when grabbing with chopsticks. Best to eat it at end so the broth can be permeated throughout.

The seaweed was surprisingly quite a good addition as well that added another element to the flavor profile while taking on the soyu broth as well unifying it with the rest of the dish.

The only drawback was that the tea egg was slightly over cooked. The yolk could have been softer and more gelatinous.

Most surprisingly, the bamboo shoot was very tender and bursting with flavor. It is so common to find very fibrous bamboo in meals that having tender bamboo was impressive.

Tamago sushi: Do not get the sushi. As an example the tamago sushi was very dense cold(both rice and egg) and there were only two pieces per order. But the pickled ginger...

I've been going here for a while now, I'm happy that they have expanded their menu a bit. The place as you enter is nice and modern looking. I love the display of various sake bottles. We were greeted and seated right away upon entering.

We ordered:

Calamari- Crispy and lightly fried. Not overly battered or greasy. Nice way to start our meal.

Gyoza - This is one of my usual go-to's. It's simple and lightly fried. Perfect size to just pop in your mouth. Something about it just hits the spot.

Cold sake - It was a cold and rainy day, but for some reason, it hit the spot. It came in the cutest yet stylish bottle, where the ice to keep it chilled was right in the middle. I'm curious to see if next time they have something a little smoother.

Gekikara roll - This had a lot of flavor, and everything just complimented each other perfectly.

Tonkatsu bento box - For this one, I ordered the one that came with vegetable tempura and california rolls. Everything was amazing. Portions were perfect. I actually didn't finish it all and took the rest home.

Banana tempura with ice cream - I was a little disappointed with this. I expected the banana to be crispier. It was soggy and greasy. Ice cream was good. We got it with green tea ice cream.

Highly recommend this place and can't wait to come back and try the udon and other items. Service wasn't bad. I totally understand since it was so busy, and only one server. That follow-up...