Tokyo Lobby Sushi and Grill

First time trying this place and we will be back. My family and I enjoyed a good dinner. The food was delicious. I had several sushi rolls. They were fresh and tasty. My husband had the tempara undon which is a noodle soup. He said «it was on hit». The environment is very casual. The waiters were very accommodating. We loved it!

I’ve heard good things about Tokyo Lobby and even tried it once several years ago, only to be unimpressed. Stopped in again tonight with my daughter and our socks were blown off!
Outstanding rolls were the Aloha, Alaska, Scorpian (spelled according to their menu) and finished it off with the chef’s recommendation of the Lolly-​Pop roll. Incredible — to the eyes just as much as to the taste buds. We both had to force ourselves to stop as our stomachs were certainly enjoying the amazing flavors passing (yes, I realize stomachs don’t «taste», but I already referenced taste buds in this paragraph and had to use something).
A bonus was the Blue Fin tuna. Charlie never knew it could be like this!
We’re going back. Often I presume, and I strongly recommend you do as well.

I went here last night and enjoyed my meal. Their happy hour menu (though not extensive) had some decent selections, and wasn’t too pricy. The sushi was good; I and my group enjoyed the salmon and yellowtail sashimi, the orgasm, some nigiri, and some cooked food. The only things I wasn’t that fond of was the the spicy salmon roll, (I hate it when sushi restaurants drizzle spicy mayo on the top) and my halibut nigiri was too tough. The sake list was ok and during happy hour I saw that they do sake bombs for like $ 5. One of the things that really impressed me was the prompt, attentive service and how quickly the food came out, (hence the 4^th star). All in all, I think this place is worth returning to if I’m in the area.

Decided to try this place rather than Yens (my usual spot) because they had different happy hour options. We walked in and order the 5 $ sake bomber. Waitress didn’t let us know that they require a 10 $ minimum EACH sake bomb so we were forced to by more food. The guy was rude, and I just ended up taking two extra orders of sushi home because I was stuffed. I’m not really excited for old sushi…
On Sunday’s they are open till 9pm, they have happy hour all day 5 – 9. So at 830 they did last call for drinks… The waitress kept hovering around our table and it made me really uncomfortable. Especially when she gave the check, she kept walking around our table and staring at the check book. A couple walked in at 8:40pm and they said they already closed the bar and food and made them leave. If you want to go home so bad; WHY AREN’T YOU JUST CLOSED AT 8:30? Stupid. Never coming back.

Unilocal really let me down on this one or maybe I am just used to a sushi places that offers favorable food. The service at first I thought was polite and fast but as the time went by our waitress didn’t even send to care if we needed drinks or anything else. The trash can in the bathroom was overfilled and was in need of some attention. Now the food, I love spicy tuna and I love it because I like a level of heat in my food. The place we normally go to has excellent spicy tuna but this place was just blah. The texture was more of a mousse and it had no flavor. The wasabi was also one of cheap brand that looked like a paste and again just not something I am used too. I expect to use a little and it goes a long way. This wasabi had no heat. My boyfriend had the teriyaki chicken which he said was dry and hard to chew. The sauce was good in flavor but the chicken itself was not good. Not impress and felt really let down by Unilocal.Guess I will just continue to go to my regular sushi place

Went for happy hour. Great tempura, scorpion roll was to die for. $ 5 sake bomb, wow. Definitely will be back soon.

Came here on my last day of a trip to Phoenix, and was surprisingly blown away! What I thought would just be some random Japanese place for dinner ended up not only being great, but also a great value! We ordered mostly from the happy hour menu, which was 5PM-​9PM Monday-​Friday, which gave us a bunch of rolls, and even tempura for ~$ 5.
The décor and staff here are also great and you really feel like you’re eating at a much more upscale restaurant than the cost would have you think. Will definitely come by again for a meal when I’m around the area.

This place is awesome. We had happy hour and that doesn’t mean everything is deep– fried. (Cause that’s not sushi). They have fresh ingredients, service was great, food is delicious and they even accommodated my request for no mayo. And great prices. Definitely going back.

Found this place by chance, since it’s a little out of my usual stomping grounds. We stopped in for lunch, and I’m a little bit in love with the place. It’s kind of dark inside, with a classic rock station on the radio. It’s family friendly. The next table over was a man and three kids, and they greeted some apparent regulars by name when they came in, so is the kind of atmosphere I love.
We ordered bento boxes and they were HUGE. We probably didn’t eat half the food. I had the chicken, but I’ll admit that I liked my roommate’s steak better. Everything was tasty and seemed fresh.
Bottom line: 10/​10, would nom it again.

This place came highly recommended by a fellow sushi lover. Unfortunately, my boyfriend doesnt have an appetite for raw meat so I usually have to find a sushi place that also serves other less ‘scary’ dishes. This place is a perfect fit.
He ordered their fried rice while I pigged out on eel, ebi, tuna, and albacore (to name a few). The plates were served quickly, and were fresh!
Please dont think that the waitresses are rushing you. They want to make sure you get what you ordered promptly.
I made the mistake of complaining to my sushi going friend that we felt rushed. He mentioned he knew the owners and that the waitresses are trained to serve the plates quickly.
Our glasses were never empty, which is a huge deal for me because I drink ALOT of water at all times.

Had a fun evening out with a group of friends, this place did not disappoint. We were a large party, and the service started off slow at first. However, between the socializing and laughter, the wait did not seem too bad. Additionally, when the food arrived, any ill thoughts were put to rest by fresh sushi and new tastes. We will be back when we are in the neighborhood. Don’t miss out, this place is really good!

I have passed by this place for years! My husband and I finally decided to try it out. And man were we disappointed. THAT WE HADN’T TRIED IT SOONER! We had the Musashi Roll (Spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, and avocado $ 6) and 2 Saki bombs ($ 5/​each) to start. All on Happy Hour! Then we had the oh so amazing and filling Monkey Brains (Spicy Crab inside a Tempura Mushroom!) We were STUFFED! Our bill was so low we couldn’t believe it! The service was good! Parking is a little strange but works. Atmosphere was very cute. Pretty normal for a smaller sushi place. I really love the patio (I love patios!) but it was just too hot that day. Can’t wait to come back, try more, and sit on the patio!

Best customers service I’ve ever had, we have had multiple servers come up to our tables asking if we needed anything. The presentation of the food was impressive, and the derive was also fast. I love this place !

Love this place. Sushi is always great. I am a roll fan. Have tried many of theirs and love each one. Enjoy the 80’s music and the saki bombers too. They offer a full menu so there is something for everyone here. Clean, fast, casual dining. Been going here for a few years… not planning to stop any time soon.

This is by far the very best sushi in the state! No one does it better and with better flavor anywhere. The couple that owns this restaurant has been doing traditional sushi and Japanese food for a very long time. The specialty rolls are to die for.
Their Albacore is the very best. My favorite roll is the Beauty Roll! It has Albacore, Cucumber in the best Sticky rice you will ever put in your mouth. Try the seaweed salad and squid salad for the best appetizers ever! They also have a killer drink special that has a bottle of hot saki and two large bottles of Kirin Beer. The Sashimi is fresh and you know from the time you enter the door the fish is fresh. They also have a great selection of traditional Japanese food.
I have brought people from Chandler to eat here and now when they want good sushi they make the trip.

Amazing sushi and very friendly staff. This has become our go to place for sushi. We’ve had so many different pieces of sushi and sashimi and it’s always delicious.

This used to be my favorite go to for west valley sushi but repeat visits have disappointed. Last week when I arrived with a guest the place was about 25% full and we were told to sit at the small table which is reasonable but I knew we wanted to split the sushi boat (big wooden boat with sushi and sashimi) which does not fit well in the small tables. I asked to be seated at a larger table and told they were all taken for reservations. After I explained why I wanted to sit at one the attitude changed to now allowing me to occupy the table. Since he was sooooo concerned about loosing business to larger parties we just sat at the small table. No one ever occupied the large (4 seat tables) while we finished our $ 90 meal. I’m pretty easy going but I wont be back based on the attitude of the owner.

Best place to get Sushi in the valley — Hiro works there!!!
I used to go to ‘the Lobby’ for lunch with some customers a lot, and it has always been really good. When Shiro closed, this became our family sushi place, too. Then, one day, (Oct 15, 2013, to be exact), we dropped in and there was Hiro!!! (If you used to get sushi at that place by the Biltmore way back when, that’s the Hiro I’m talking about — check my photos — there’s a shot from when we found him)
OK, enough fan worship of the Valley’s best sushi chef, let’s get down to the review.
This is a nice, friendly place on the west side of town. They have sushi and sashimi, along with a full menu of noodles, tempura, etc.
The fish is consistently very good here! And all the guys behind the counter do a great job with it (not just Hiro). The serving staff is also very friendly and attentive.
Why did this become the family sushi place? Because of what my wife calls «Chick Rolls» — things that aren’t ‘traditional’. If you like some maki, this is a great place to try some really fun, creative and tasty rolls! I like the What the Heck roll — very spicy. The Volcano roll is a crowd pleaser (and comes with lots of healthy veggies mixed in with the scallops and crab). My wife and daughter’s favorite, though, is the Sex on the Beach roll. This is Maguro (Ahi) on top of a fried banana (and I’m not sure what all else). The ladies love it! (This is the first non-​California type roll to start expanding my daughter’s world of sushi, so I’m into their debt for opening up her palate to more kinds of fish! :-))
I can’t believe I’ve never reviewed the Lobby before… I guess I’m a recovering Unilocal slacker…
Anyway, run — don’t walk, to Tokyo Lobby. If you’re not sure what you want, just sit at the bar in front of Hiro and tell him to hook you up — tell him I sent you. My son and I have entrusted many a tasty sushi meal to his talents and recommendations.

I don’t know why I waited almost three years to try Tokyo Lobby. I’ve driven past it a hundred times and from Bell Road, it doesn’t look like much. It’s in a Walmart parking lot, next to a Payless, for f*cks sake!
BUT! It’s a good thing I decided to blow off existing reservations elsewhere to drop in on a rainy Friday night because I was truly impressed with the rolls, the nigiri, and the udon here.
For a small dining area, they do pack in the tables and it’s bigger inside than it looks outside. There are two outdoor patios but I’ll be sitting at the sushi bar from now on.
The two chairs in the middle of the bar were all that was available when my lady love and I arrived, so we got seated right away and asked the server to bring us two Kirin sake bombers– the intelligent way to begin any sushi meal on the west side.
I made sure to order a few rolls to try as well as some of my personal favorite nigiri– the tako AKA octupus. One of the best servings of tako I’ve had in Arizona. It was garnished with super-​thinly sliced lemon on each of the two pieces of octopus tentacle and it was so tender and not gristly or rubbery as I’ve had elsewhere. I immediately asked for another order.
The specialty rolls were really well put together, with lots of fresh fish and interesting combinations of sweet, savory, salty and sour from the various sauces and ingredients. Textures– crunch and bite and melt in your mouth– are well thought out in the various house rolls.
About halfway through dinner, I got to speak some with the sushi chef about the day’s special on a sign behind him «blue fin tuna– $ 5.99 sushi, $ 14.99 sashimi» and he mentioned that he «only gets the good stuff» from his supplier. Looking at it in his window at the sushi bar, it was that deep red color you hope for in a piece of good tuna and it did not disappoint when he handed it to me on a plate. Garnished with wasabi, he tells us «one bite» and there it goes, no soy sauce, either. Damn good.
I wanted more nigiri and he prepped some flounder and yellowtail belly for us. The texture of the flounder was like butter– owing to the way he sliced the filet and the yellowtail belly was wrapped around some julienned vegetables and herbs and topped with a raw quail egg. Again, he says «one bite» and it was outstanding.
I had to try an udon so I opted for the tempura udon which is accompanied by tempura veggies and a shrimp. I love anything with a complex broth and noodles and I was in love with this bowl of deliciousness. They even brought out some togorashi for me as seasoning.
I’ve eaten a lot of sushi in a lot of places including Michelin star restaurants in New York and California and I would pull up a chair for an omakase at Tokyo Lobby any time. I don’t think there’d be fugu or toro but I know I’d get an incredibly memorable meal.

Tokyo Lobby serves up the highest quality sushi in this immediate area. I can’t eat poor or mediocre sushi and can taste the difference. Since my favorite sushi place changed hands I haven’t found edible tuna in the immediate area until my return to Tokyo Lobby. For $ 2.00 you can order real wasabi sauce here and you can request the Fish Collar that they call Jaw here. I did find that the service was a little hit and miss as the one server never gave me my wasabi but I was able to get it from the other server and in the end I left very happy.
Best sushi in the immediate area that I know of.