Tokyo Express

We are in town one night early for an event. We took a walk from the hotel and found this amazing place. They have my favorite role of the lion King. We tried the barbecue pork Ramen noodle soup. Family business great service say hello to Jorge.

It's been said again and again. This is a hole in the wall. Nothing fancy. Perhaps a tad messy. Definitely somewhat cluttered (stored empty cardboard boxes for larger to-go orders). There was one table outside that was occupied when we walked in. Maybe seven or eight tables inside. I think two were occupied when we walked in. The ordering scheme is simple. Go to the counter, read the menu, place your order, pay and then grab a table. To simplify things, one side of the menu features Chinese dishes while the other side features Japanese. The order taker/cashier/server was very friendly and probably the owner as well. We were on our way to a show, not starving but wanting something quick and warm to eat. We settled on a single order of Chicken Curry with Potato, Carrot and Onion over Steamed Rice. We asked for a cup of Ice Water to drink, and he insisted that he give us two cups of Ice Water. As we were getting ready to sit down, he rushed over and asked us to wait a moment while he wiped the table down for us. When our order was ready, he brought it to us in a styrofoam container along with two food trays, two set-ups and a soup spoon to use as a serving spoon. He also refilled our waters and brought us fortune cookies. For a simple Curry over Rice, this order was surprisingly good. The Potatoes and Carrots were cooked well, firm without being mushy. The Curry had a nice bite to it. Even the rice was of excellent quality. And that's one area where many restaurants make the mistake of trying to save cost by use inferior rice. Not here, it was delicious and the price of $12.79 including sales tax is ridiculously inexpensive. We have one more show at the Gallo Center for the Arts this season and I think we know where we're going to have a virtual feast!

So I haven't been to this restaurant in a long time. I will soon realize why I haven't been back. This was once a hopping place. Today, there were not many customers inside and it was lunch time. I ordered my meal. I ordered a combo with fried rice, chow mein, fried prawns and chicken in foil. The chicken in foil and prawns were ok. The fried rice and chow mien were definitely not good at all. The rice was old. The chow mien was mainly cabbage and not much noodles. The wife didn't care for her meal either. Definitely not the same place as it was years back.

Delicious food with a wide variety of options on their menu. Staff is friendly and thoughtful - we have a family of 6 and never once were lacking of anything.Their parklet was clean and a perfect atmosphere for a quiet weekend lunch.

During a training in downtown Modesto I located Tokyo Express as a good spot for lunch. The first thing to note is people aren't wrong; this is a hole in the wall. There are tables inside but it was pretty packed during lunch, so plan accordingly. I ordered the Hot & Spicy Ramen and I left very happy. The broth had just the right amount of spices and the noodles were delicate and delicious. The egg was perfectly soft-boiled. The only item in the ramen I didn't care for was the broccoli, but that is because I think broccoli is a gift from Satan, so personal preference on that one. I knocked one star for the choice of serving receptacles. Most all of the take-out carriers and drink cups were Styrofoam. Recent legislation in CA banned Styrofoam so I was surprised to see it in use in the restaurant. Hopefully when their batch of Styrofoam products is up they will re-order a more sustainable item for their use.

My friend had really high hopes for this restaurant, and I had a bad feeling about everything. This place had no customers during lunch time which only added to the eerie, quiet, and uncomfortable atmosphere. The service was kind but felt very desperate and forced. When I went to pay for my meal, the man who was supposed to ring me up told me to come behind the counter to pay. This made me very uncomfortable. If my friend hadn't already paid for her meal and sat down, I would've left without a word.The restaurant was dirty. Nothing looked organized with stock overflowing from boxes left at the front of house. The dead bugs on the windowsill had been there so long they collected a few good layers of dust. After receiving our food, I noticed that everything was served in either a styrofoam, paper, or plastic container. Hot miso soup in styrofoam, my friend's sushi rolls on a plastic tray, and my meal conveniently already in a to-go box. No one is on dish-duty at this restaurant because there are NO dishes.As for the food, I can safely say that this was the worst meal I have ever had. I ordered the beef teriyaki that came with a side of rice, salad, and miso. The beef had no taste with a rubbery texture. It was drowned in this "teriyaki sauce" that tasted like they concocted it themselves. I've also never known Asian salads to be spicy, so the weird glaze that was drizzled over my lettuce caught me off guard. The shredded onions in the miso soup looked like it was an attempt to make the soup taste fresher, and it didn't work. What is seen in the photo I attached is what was left of the mystery meat I pulled from the back of my throat. Not only would I not recommend this place to anyone, I made this Yelp account to WARN everyone about it.

Tokyo Express has always been on of my favorite spots. George is always so attentive and kind and the food is always good. I love this place so much my husband and I had an impromptu wedding shoot before my reception. I ordered the only thing I really had time to eat on my wedding day and my roll was delicious.

Food was so tasty and fresh!! Don't get me started on service, we were well taken care of so kind enough to keep asking if we needed anything else! super helpful when ordering our items also! we got so much food for such a great price! overall delicious and will come again.

The view is awesome right in Downtown Modesto on J St excellent food & love the wooden deck a must if your in the area

Great food always fresh and the service is awesome always friend and kind ! Definitely recommend this place