Review: Tokyo Sushi

Tokyo Sushi recently opened in the location formerly owned by the Levee Cafe, right across the street from the Kansas River. There are various other sushi places in downtown Lawrence and across the city, but Tokyo Sushi offers some unique options. The North Lawrence restaurant offers ingredients such as tempura vegetables and seafood, pickled red cabbage, raw seafood, avocado, mango and more in addition to sushi burritos. This restaurant isn’t the first to sell recipes like these, but their ingredients and ideas stand out from other Japanese restaurants in Lawrence. In addition to that, the sushi and chicken teriyaki was very good — it was flavorful and it tasted fresh and all in all, there were no issues with the food.

The interior of Tokyo Sushi is small and nondescript, featuring only a few indoor tables for people to eat at and a carry-out counter. Their online ordering was easy and the food was ready right on time, making the carry-out process time efficient and low-stress. The restaurant also features an outdoor seating area, closed off from the sidewalk but still open-air to provide a safe dining experience, and the area has heat lamps so it can function in the winter. The space was small, which seemed to work for now, but if it continues to grow, the space might get cramped.

Overall, Tokyo Sushi was a good dining experience. The food, service and location were consistently good without any real downsides, but with competition from similar restaurants, Tokyo Sushi probably needs to grow in popularity before it expands its menu and interior, which might not happen until in-person dining is recommended. However, their sushi and other food was fresh and very good, and the restaurant is a good place to eat even during the pandemic.