Toro Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Vernon

Who would expect to find good Japanese food in a little Texas town with a population of 10,000? Until today, not me. This recently opened restaurant serves hibachi-style food, sans the hibachi-style dining, and sushi. Being my first time here, I had to try two dishes.

I ordered the Vernon roll (spicy crab, shrimp tempura, avocado, and cream cheese) and was not disappointed. I was a bit surprised with the first bite, though. I've never had sushi that was served warm. After that brief moment of confusion, I was able to savor it fully. That bite alone was enough to ensure I'd be back.

I also had an order of hibachi beef. It came with the typical pile of fried rice and cooked vegetables. The rice ranks right up there near the top of rices that I've had. Not at the very top, but pretty close.

I tried their Japanese style French fries today. They were different. Really well cooked French fries with flaked, dried tuna, and a couple of sauces on them. Worth eating once.

The service was very good and we were able to easily meet our one-hour lunch. The atmosphere was unique among Japanese places I've dinerd The building itself was more like an aging Mexican food place that's been recently updated.

Overall, if you like Japanese food, it is definitely worth trying and should end up being a place for frequent travelers of US-287 to stop for...

Got the jalapeno poppers and OMG!, they were phenomenal. They had crabmeat in them. The wontons were loaded with crabmeat. The gyoza was perfect too. Tried the chicken egg rolls, which were delectable. We had the dragon roll, 287 roll, spider roll and the volcano roll. All the rolls were tasty and fresh. Service was fast and attentive. Food came out fast too I'd recommend this place to anyone. It's a diamond in the middle...

Delicious sushi! Clean restrooms. Soup, salad, sushi and steak dishes from the hibachi are all fantastic. Hard to find because there is no sign on the service road. The last picture shows the sign that is directly in front of the restaurant. It looks like that at one time it must have been the restaurant for the motel next door. Same stucco finish. Fast service so a great place for travelers passing through...