Tokyo Express Sushi

by amvandenhurk | Restaurant Review

Sushi Craving

It was a hot lazy Saturday afternoon. Perfect afternoon for sushi. We had been very busy all morning. Busier than usual on a Saturday. It was way after lunchtime and none of us were in the mood to make anything. I was in the mood for something different. After all, I can’t live on crisp bread, cheese, and avocados. OK maybe I could live on it, but that is another post. We decided that sushi sounded good for a late lunch.

Where to go locally for really decent sushi for lunch?

The key words there was decent sushi for lunch. That’s hard to come by living in a rural community in North Carolina. Not exactly top of folks’ list for favorite foods. We had found a good Japanese restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina; however, we were not in the mood to drive the thirty-plus miles one-way. Off to the Googles I went to see if there were any Japanese restaurants in Rocky Mount, the closest city to us. Of course the standard hibachi and all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets came up. Not for us. Then I noticed Tokyo Express.

Tokyo Express

You can dine-in or take-away at Tokyo Express. It looks like it was at some point a fast food restaurant, so it isn’t the most fanciest of places. We spent the meal trying to figure it out and we didn’t in the end. The decor is plain, functional and very clean. It is counter service where you place then pick-up your order. The service is friendly and knowledgeable of the menu. Always a good sign.

The menu is diverse so everybody should find something to their liking. Tokyo Express offers sushi, hibachi, and soba. The menu wasn’t vast which is good. It means the ingredients tend to be fresh and the end product is good. That’s what you want in a sushi place or for that matter any restaurant serving fish.

What we ate

California Roll

Spicy Eel Roll

We went for sushi and that’s what we had. Though the soba noodles were enticing, I stuck to sushi. Next time I’ll have the soba noodles. We asked for recommendations ordering four rolls: California, spicy crab, spicy eel, and dragon tiger roll. All were made to order. And all were very good. We dipped on soy sauce instead of the yum yum sauce. We’re traditional like that.

I really enjoyed the spicy eel. The eel as BBQ’d. The spicy crab roll was nice.

Dragon Tiger Roll

We tried sometime that we never would have unless it was recommended to us: the dragon tiger roll. It is tuna and avocado that is breaded and fried then rolled in caviar topped with spicy mayo and eel sauce. It was good; however, it is something you share with a crowd. I could only have one or two pieces.

The portions were generous. We left with enough for another lunch. The price range was $5.49 to $.8.49. Well worth every penny.

I’ve got two suggestions that would improve the dining experience. The first suggestion is when dining in use actually flatware and plates. The food is worth being served on plates. Second suggestion is to have servers bring the food out to the table. Tokyo Express has great food and these upgrades would make it a dining experience.

Tokyo Express Info

2816 Sunset Avenue
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
252-937-2228
Tokyoexpressrockymount.com

Hours:
Monday-Saturday 11:00am-9:30pm
Closed Sundays

Drive Thru, Dine In, and Carry Out.