Tokyo Cafe

Family owned and operated, this is the older sibling to Shinjuku Station.
Their sushi is good, but this place sets itself apart in the kitchen. If you’re a broke student, hit this place up for a beef bowl or something. They have kitchen dishes for about $ 8 that are better than you could hope for.
If you’re one of those people who frequents Pei Wei or some other generic Asian chain, try Tokyo instead. Support a locally owned restaurant and get better food in the process. You won’t be disappointed.

We visited toward close the other Tuesday evening and found a relatively dead restaurant. I appreciated the ability to talk though at normal levels and have good quality service without a crowd.
We started with two $ 4 dollar Sapporo drafts because why wouldn’t you? Bud Light is $ 3.50 might as well spend another
.50 cents for a good beer.
Shishito peppers grilled to start and they were decent… although I think I would’ve preferred them made «the old way» (cooked in a sauce?) as the waitress referenced versus the plain grilled way we had them. It’s essentially a grilled/​charred not spicy jalapeño. It’s only 5 bucks though so no complaints and the plate was full.
I had the vegetarian bowl with brown rice which seemed to lack a sauce… not badly flavored but seemed kinda just plain. The rice was cooked perfectly thought
My better half had the beef bowl with extra beef. His was VERY good. Reminiscent of Mongolian beef. Next time I’ll go that route versus veggies and plain tofu.
All in all I enjoyed it! We will come back to try the sushi sometime!

I was so pleasantly surprised by our recent dining experience here — although I don’t know why I would’ve expected anything other than perfection from the owners of Shinjuku Station.
The atmosphere is totally charming and on a Saturday night, we were able to carry on a nice, quiet conversation even though the place was packed. We had the pork belly as an appetizer — I highly recommend you try it. Temptation and Seattle rolls, and the ribs with tempura veggies. Everything was fresh with a homey feel. Service was great and our tab was under $ 50 even though we ate and drank like kings.
I can’t say enough about this place, we will definitely be back.

Came here for lunch with some med school classmates and our teaching physician and was pleasantly surprised on their take of Japanese food. We co-​shared stir-​fried edamame among the 5 of us. One of us ordered the Volcano roll, 2 others ordered the Lunch Bento Box A, and another ordered a custom bento with mixed green salad, panko covered pork, brown rice, and tok fries. My bento box came with seaweed salad, teriyaki chicken, tok fries and soba drenched in soy sauce. My other classmate said she would have rated the sushi a 3.5÷5, granted she has a high caliber for sushi. Looking at the volcano roll, I thought the mayonnaise would overpower the delicate flavor of the scallop but it surprisingly didn’t. Tok fries had a good texture and thickness — not to crunchy, not too soggy but the spices were piled on.
Everything was flavored a little on the heavier/​saltier side but I would definitely be open to coming back and trying other items (noodles/​rice) on the menu. The taste is more suited to American palates. The prices were also on the higher side for the quality. Service was fantastic — our preceptor had to leave early and they got the food right out and were very attentive to filling our water glasses. I also enjoyed the open layout, with the windows facing Camp Bowie and the sky themed ceiling. There is also a military discount at this location.

Our first experience here was fantastic! Having ordered the kimchi fried rice, several hand pieces and rolls, we were fans. Upon our second visit, which we were initially excited about, I’ve committed my sushi loving heart to Little Lily.
On the second visit our kimchi fried rice was over saturated and soggy. The integrity of the rice completely shot beneath a horrible ratio of kimchi: rice. Clumps of rice could not be eaten with chopsticks– a spoon would have been a wiser tool here. The special Four Alarm roll was very well executed and completely rounded in flavor– but the lackluster shishito appetizer left us with a bad taste in our mouths. The rice beneath our sushi was uncomfortably cold as well.
Add a drastic drop in quality of the food to being blatantly ignored by our waiter for the day and you’ve got a couple that will never return. Our waiter seemed quite attentive to the other tables that trickled in after us, but ultimately un-engaging…a smile never crossing his face for the hour plus we spent there. On a completely personal level– I found his level of indifference concerning his work very off putting and frustrating. Quite the change from the week prior where a very sweet woman (baby in tow) continuously inquired after our meal and experience as a whole.
Maybe Mondays are when they staff their B Team. Either way, we won’t be wasting our time again.

my experience here was sub par and i had high hopes for this place. everyone says to get the fries. they are EHH at best. nothing special. and the sauce to fries ratio is HORRIBLE. giant fries with a puny amount of sauce. i mean come on!
my server was kind of sloppy. he was very throwy and tossy and sometimes kind of rude. but it was for a big party so i was slightly okay with it. so then i notice he was not really attentive during the last phase of the night esp when we were the last people there.
the décor here was actually surprisingly good it looks crappy outside but def walk in this place looks nice.
we were seated pretty fast even though walking in it was kind of packed but that died down pretty fast as they were closing.
the food here is pretty good i couldn’t eat the sushi but my friends all enjoyed every roll they had and nothing left on anyone’s plates and they actually all got full on sushi which is rare. but that was a good sign.
id come back again but im not dying to come back.

Went there for a friends birthday. The place was very quant and cute. For a party of 15, we were seated very quickly. We ordered the fries as appetizers, they were delicious, but only with dipping sides. DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT order the volcano or Cajun roll. It was the worse decision of the night, these rolls were covered in straight mayonnaise!
These 2 rolls were not the highlight of my night.

We own a business across the street, and eat here several times a week (often literally running across the street for a quick lunch!), so may be a bit biased.
Given that prelude, we have literally nothing but exceptional things to say about Tokyo Café. First off: great and really healthy sushi (not a ton of mayonnaise sauces). All of the food is great… really, really good. The vibe is relaxed, and though this can occasionally transfer into a somewhat relaxed pace of service, you are never ignored and the service is typically great.
Their other, newer, place — Shinjuku Station (sp?) on Magnolia — is very good too.
The owners are very nice to boot. Overall, it doesn’t get much better for healthy and fresh sushi.

I go here for one thing and one thing only — UUUNAGI
In short– it’s nothing short of amazing. It tastes amazing. The texture is amazing. Did I mention its amazing? :)
Ok, I lied, I also go there for the equally amazing Tok Fries.

Not the best Japanese place, but somewhat authentic enough. Friendly staff, casual setting, and good food. It’s a bit pricey for what you get, I guess, but not overly so (or maybe I’m just cheap).
We’ve been here a couple of times now, and definitely plan on returning.

Possibly the «best» Japanese restaurant in Fort Worth, and definitely one for the top ones in DFW.
Why?
Ambience and atmosphere are perfect. Cool, quiet, balanced and perfectly tempered. Decorations aren’t overdone with extra «Asian» type décor. Colors are balanced with clean whites, natural bamboo wood, slick clean black floors tables are spaced well. Tables are dressed appropriately with utensils and dish-​ware. Center pieces perfectly accentuate the table. During the day there is a lot of natural light let in by the large windows. Orientation of the restaurant and how it is positioned on an incline makes it feel like you are in another city facing the brick road side of camp bowie. Bathroom is clean and finished with stone accents. Some Japanese flavor in the décor.
Food is authentic and executed to perfection. Family run business and owner and chef are Japanese (seems to have professional experience in culinary arts). Very high quality, conservative presentation but appropriate. Flavors are balanced and striking at the same time. You can tell a lot of care was take with the preparation of the food. Fairly priced and the sushi is fresh and made I order. He sushi chefs prepare the sushi within a few steps of you behind a sushi bar. There is definitely a good taste of Japan (I have been to Japan) that you can feel while eating in the restaurant.

Tokyo Café is Americanized restaurant with lots to offer.
We tried various sushi rolls (california, unagi, and salmon)
We have never tried the maki version of sushi so it was a pleasant surprise.
We ordered a «Kim Chi» bowl which was very good. A mixture of Korean Kimchi, Bok Choy, roasted pork belly with a fried egg on top.
Price wise, the food is really good for the price. Not too expensive but not too cheap either.
Overall a great little café!

Tokyo Café and I go way back :) I pop by for a quick lunch at the sushi bar, celebrate birthdays or have a romantic dinner for two. Living in Arlington Heights and having this gem of a sushi joint just a few blocks away is awesome! They are always full of regulars– great sign!
I love the food here. The specials rotate and change. Right now they have a yuzu albacore roll that has got to be one of my favorite flavor combinations! The sauce that accompanies the roll is divine! Another favorite is the tonkatsu pork ramen. The broth is so flavorful. You can taste that a lot of time and effort went in to perfecting this recipe. The cucumber salad and octopus salad are staples when we go as well. I can’t forget the New York Sunrise roll. The little slivers of jalapeño on top give it a nice kick. If you are feeling like something crispy and fried– do the Tok Fries– voted the best fries in Funky Town.
The staff is always friendly– from the chefs to the servers. If it’s busy with a wait OR if you come in after the lunch rush, the service is consistently great. When we dine here there is a family feel and we love it. Mary, one of the owners, is always walking about– checking on you and making sure that you are having a wonderful dining experience. If you haven’t been here you need to go, now. You’re missing out!!!

My gf and I really like this place. One time, we went 3 days in a row for dinner. The décor is not too fancy, dress code is casual, and the place is close to school and home. The price of this place is not bad either! Great if you don’t feel like dressing up and just want a quick bite.
This is the casual sister restaurant of Shinjuku Station. Shinjuku Station is an Izakaya (Japanese Pub/​Bar). It’s usually where students and co-​workers and chefs go after a busy day to drink and chat and eat so the concept is you get to try smaller dishes to share at cheaper prices — But it’s not so cheap there. Tokyo Café has some similarities with Shinjuku Station without the huge crowd and cramped spaces. But, of course they have some major differences. Some dishes you’ll only see at Shinjuku Station and some dishes you’ll only see at Tokyo Café. Come early though, after 6:30 or 7:00pm this place is also packed. Oh and the prices here are better for the same dish at Shinjuku. But you should try out both places. They do have totally different atmospheres.
Their sushi is always fresh and clean. Try the Tok fries ($ 5.5), braised pork belly ($ 4), and a yellowtail maki roll ($ 6) and the Japanese Fish & Chips (Tok fries) ($ 12).
Ohh! their Tonkatsu Pork Ramen ($ 9) is delicious as well. Japanese people go crazy for this dish because it’s so good yet so common in Japan. But the thing is, it’s very hard and time consuming to make so you’ll have to go to a ramen restaurant for this. Of course, this is not as good as I’ve had in Japan (¹⁰⁄₁₀) but it still gets a solid ⁷⁄₁₀.
The owners and head chef are very friendly. You can always see them out on the floor making sure everything is going well for each customer.
Happy Hour is from 4 – 6. $ 1/​pc sushi

Not bad! I went over the summer and what I really enjoyed was the compressed watermelon and pork belly appetizer. It was sweet, savory and a little salty. The pork belly was a tad on the dry side though.
The sushi was good, but not that stand out. The unagi nigiri I had was great though. Since the summer I haven’t been able to make it bake over here but I’d definitely give it another try.

After being impressed with Shinjuku Station, decided to finally check out the sister restaurant, Tokyo Café. One thing that is a negative for me (which has nothing to do with the restaurant itself), is the distance. This is a much farther drive for me than Shinjuku Station, right now, as I’m temporarily living in Arlington. Not sure if that will change when we move to Keller…
Anyway, Tokyo Café is definitely has a differnt vibe than its sister restaurant. It’s bigger and has a more casual feel. The sushi bar there looks to be three times the size of Shinjuku Station’s.
The menu is definitely more «Americanized,» as I was warned. But it had some real gems. I tried some of the appetizers that were on special. The aji and kampachi nigiri I had were beautifully prepared and simply delicious. Same goes for the yuzu albacore roll I had next. The yuzu really accented the flavor of the fish. Ended the appetizers with the braised pork & melon special. Great contrast of flavors, with the sweetness of the watermelon & the spiciness of the jalapeño cutting the richness of the pork just so.
For my entrée I had the Tokyo Fish & Chips. The fish was expertly fried and well-​seasoned. The batter was extremely light and fluffy and the crispiness level perfect. Unfortunately, the same thing could not be said of the Tok fries. It might be unfair, but I have to go back and compare them with the ones I had at Shinjuku Station. Those were the perfect consistency: crisp on the outside, fluffy, but filling on the inside. Plus, they had that addicting flavoring, of course.
The ones at Tokyo Café had the flavor, but not the same consistency. Some were soggy, while others were too hard. I noted that these were thinner than the ones at Shinjuku Station. Also, they had had the fish lying on top of them, and paper wrapped around them. I suspect that some of the oil from the fish, and the moisture getting trapped by the newspaper, plus the size of the cuts all played some part in this.
Alas, that is why Tokyo Café only got four stars. When you’ve tasted the same dish executed to perfection in another place, it’s hard not subtract some points when given the same dish that is not executed in the same perfect manner.

After many a trip to Shinjuku Station, their sister property, we decided to check out the birthplace of it all– Tokyo Café. We were greeted and ushered to a bright table by the windows. Tony, our server, was incredibly friendly, fun, and helpful. its people like him that make that last component of the meal complete. He was very helpful with getting our selections custom tailored, accurate, and most importantly, attentive, but not too attentive.
We got the Tok Fries because, well, they are a must have. A fresh roll or two of spicy yellowtail tuna helps get the palate lively for the meal, so we had to have that, too. For lunch, the ‘Build Your Own Bento Box’ option was a perfect was to keep the lunch light and to get to try several different items from the menu in one sitting. I settled for the Yakisoba noodles, several maki samples, octopus and cucumber salad, and rare, sliced steak. To say the least, the food was outstanding. Fresh, clean flavors, with great balance and well, of course, a dollop of wasabi.
This place was wonderful for lunch, and perusing the menu, we’ll definitely be back for dinner sometime soon. We had such a great date here, thanks to everyone that made it so…

Tokyo Café exceeded my expectations, even after reading a lot of the rave reviews. Why only four stars then, you may ask? Well… sushi restaurants are a dime a dozen these days… and while Tokyo had some more authentic and unique options, it’s not a knock-​your-​socks-​off, dazzling Japanese exprience like Tei Tei Robata in Dallas. Most people seem to think Shinjuku Station (Tokyo Café’s sister restaurant in Fort Worth) is a unique, five star experience, but I haven’t tried it yet.
Let me just start off with this: Tokyo Café is way nicer inside than I expected. One reviewer said it smelled old and another said it’s barely nicer than a Chinese buffet… nooooo, sir. The restaurant was clean, minimalist, and attractive. No old smell whatsoever.
My wife and I ordered the Hamachi Kama (grilled Yellowtail Tuna collar), which was pretty good and fun to pick at. Lots of flavorful bits to pull from the collar. This is the first time I’ve tried it, so I have nothing to compare it with.
The peppercorn tuna sushi (they call nigiri «sushi» here, and rolls «rolls») was delicious. We tried the white tuna sushi and it was so soft and buttery that we decided to get it in sashimi form too.
The Tok Fries were really good. They’re fresh cooked and cut french fries (very well executed) served with some kind of spicy mayo and maybe sesame seeds to dip into. While they were excellent, they were also incredibly filling and salty, and maybe took away from the light, fresh vibe of the rest of the meal.
Our previous go-​to had been Edohana on Hulen, which has always seemed quite fresh but pretty unadventurous. Tokyo Café left a really good first impression, and will be in the running for future «where to eat sushi» conversations.

You can’t judge a restaurant by its exterior!
Paul H. and I had trouble entering the restaurant –_​-​’ we couldn’t find the door! We eventually found it (it looked like a side door)
Pick the omakase option. :) You’ll get a plethora of dishes and you won’t have to do a lot of choosing. They’re constantly updating it so it’s a nice way to try a variety. I highly recommend the fries. They’ll hit the spot for sure.

Came here with Elite Unilocaler: Tiffany D.
Décor: ⁴⁄₅
–doesn’t look like much on the outside
–pleasantly bright on the inside
Server: David
Service: ⁴⁄₅
–refilled drinks without asking (+)
–came back repeated to make sure everything was ok (+)
–chef came by to make sure all dishes were ok (+)
–chef offered us a special dish not on menu (linguine pescatore)
Omakase 5-​course ($ 40): ⁴⁄₅
–Kabocha soup: tasted like diluted clam chowder (not a bad thing!) This was delicious.
–Mixed greens-​pomegrante: the pomegrante was a delicious addition.
–Citrus seared salmon with wasabi mashed potatoes & broccoli: Very crispy skin and the salmon was not dry (it was cooked well done)
–Ribeye: just didn’t taste right. my only gripe.
–Mochi mango: didn’t taste like mango. more like peach/​orange/​apricot but it was great with the pocky stick!
Appetizer/​Sushi/​Special Dish: ⁴⁄₅
–Tok fries: heavily seasoned with side of spicy mayo and more seasoning. Highly recommended!
–Dan dan roll ($ 13): awesome presentation. not too much rice which was perfect and drizzled with spicy mayo. Couldn’t taste the mango.
–Linguine pescatore: mussel, shrimp, soba noodles. The mussel was cooked perfectly. Not too chewy but I bit on some sand.
Tokyo Café has alot of potential. They are constantly creating new dishes and many of the dishes taste great.